Casualty is the longest running emergency medical drama series in the world, & the second-longest-running medical drama in the world behind America’s General Hospital. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted in the UK on BBC One (with repeats on Watch).
The producer was Geraint Morris. The programme is based around the fictional Holby City Hospital and focuses on the staff and patients of the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department. The show has close ties to its sister programme Holby City which began as a spin off from Casualty. The show’s plots and characters occasionally crossover between the two programmes. Casualty is filmed approximately 3 months in advance of broadcast and runs for most of the year, with each series defined by approximately a month’s break during the summer.
About the show
The drama concerns a group of doctors, nurses and administrators who work in the Accident & Emergency department (since Series 18 termed the Emergency Department (ED)). The show centres around the work of the medical staff and depicts their struggle to do their job effectively whilst dealing with bureaucracy and the difficult working environment of the NHS. This has been a recurring theme over the years, particularly in the early series, when the show was frequently criticised for endorsing criticism of National Health Service management under the Conservative government of the day.
Guest stars
A survey published by Radio Times magazine in March 2004 revealed that Casualty has featured more future stars than any other UK soap or drama series. Actors who appeared in the show prior to becoming famous include Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom, Minnie Driver, Christopher Eccleston, Parminder Nagra, Sadie Frost, Ray Winstone, David Walliams, Jonny Lee Miller, Helen Baxendale and Brenda Fricker. Discussing her 1993 appearance in Casualty, Winslet told the Radio Times: “In England, it almost seems to be part of a jobbing actor’s training [to appear in Casualty]. As far as I was concerned it was a great episode, a great part. Appearing in Casualty taught me a big lesson in how to be natural in front of the camera.
Awards and accolades
In 2007 Casualty won its first major award, the BAFTA for the best continuing drama. Long serving Ian Bleasdale, who played the character Josh accepted the award at the ceremony, which took place at the London Palladium. He said “To the doctors, nurses and ambulance crews, thank you for doing the job you do. I hope we go some way to showing exactly what it is,” and dedicated the award to show’s original producer, Geraint Morris, who died in 1997. The cast of the show released the single “Everlasting Love”, which peaked at 5 in the UK in 1998.
Wins
Since its conception, Casualty has won and been nominated for the following awards.
* 2007 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Continuing Drama’
* 1999 – TV Quick Awards – ‘Best Loved Drama’
* 1998 – Royal Television Society Awards – ‘Best Sound – Drama’ – Colin Solloway, Nigel Abbott
* 1992 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Makeup’ – Sue Kneebone
* 1992 – Royal Television Society Awards – ‘Best Drama Series’
* 1991 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best VTR Editor’ – Malcolm Banthorpe
Nominations
* 2006 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Continuing Drama’
* 2005 – National Television Awards – ‘Most Popular Newcomer’ – Elyes Gabel
* 2004 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Continuing Drama’
* 2002 – National Television Awards – ‘Most Popular Drama’
* 1998 – National Television Awards – ‘Most Popular Newcomer’ – Claire Goose
* 1997 – National Television Awards – ‘Most Popular Newcomer’ – Jonathan Kerrigan
* 1996 – Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award – ‘TV – Original Drama Series’ – David Joss Buckley
* 1993 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Drama Series’
* 1993 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Make Up’ – Jan Nethercot
* 1992 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Film or Video Editor (Fiction)’ – Alan Dixon
* 1992 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Video Lighting’ – Cedric Rich
* 1991 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best VTR Editor’ – Nigel Cattle
* 1991 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Video Lighting’ – Chris Watts
* 1988 – British Academy Television Awards – ‘Best Sound Supervisor’ – Rod Lewis
Cast
(Series Cast Summary – 14 of 1372)
* Derek Thompson – Charlie Fairhead (302 episodes, 1986-2009)
* Ian Bleasdale – Josh Griffiths (253 episodes, 1991-2007)
* Suzanne Packer – Tess Bateman (243 episodes, 2003-2009)
* Simon MacCorkindale – Harry Harper (228 episodes, 2002-2008)
* James Redmond – John ‘Abs’ Denham (213 episodes, 2003-2008)
* Martina Laird – Comfort Jones (195 episodes, 1995-2006)
* Susan Cookson – Maggie Coldwell (172 episodes, 1998-2008)
* Janine Mellor – Kelsey Phillips (167 episodes, 2005-2009)
* Matthew Wait – Luke Warren (129 episodes, 2003-2006)
* Elyes Gabel – Gurpreet ‘Guppy’ Sandhu (128 episodes, 2001-2007)
* Elizabeth Carling – Selena Donovan (127 episodes, 2003-2007)
* Catherine Shipton – Lisa ‘Duffy’ Duffin (125 episodes, 1986-2006)
* Sam Grey – Alice Chantrey (123 episodes, 2006-2009)
* Kwame Kwei-Armah – Finlay Newton (122 episodes, 1994-2004)
Incoming search terms:
- casualty tv series watch
